Questions to ask:

• Who is the intended audience for the source?
• Will information directed to the intended audience meet your needs?
• Does the information help answer your research question?
• Does the purpose of the source (e.g., research, statistical, organizational) meet your needs?

What to look for when determining relevancy:

​In library databses, look at the article's title, its attached subjects, and the article abstract. An abstract is a short (usually one paragraph) summary of an article. You can quickly read an abstract to determine relevancy to your topic and research question.

In the library's online catalog, look at a book's table of contents, summary, and attached subjects. Sometimes a single chapter of a book will be relevant to your research.